House of Stone and Light
by Sarie Cigam
Summary: One of the Digidestined has a disease, and the person closest to him in the world is shaken to the core. The other digidestined decide to do something special for the sick one, something to help heal a broken spirit. The song "In the House of Stone and


NOTE: I don't own Digimon or the gorgeous Martin Page song, "In the House of Stone and Light". 

  
  


House of Stone and Light

  
  
  
  


T.K. closed his sky-bright, blue eyes painfully, turning away from the blazing sun. The light was too painful for him. He wished he could blot it out, cause an eclipse, so he might walk the darkness for a few hours until his labyrinth of thoughts sorted themselves out.

The center of T.K.'s family, the person he trusted more than anyone else, his older brother, Matt, was dying. He had days left.

Everyone's singing sweetheart, the bearer of the Crest of Friendship, had been diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer. The tumor was inoperable. He could barely summon the strength to speak anymore.

The entrance of the hospital was a welcome relief from the burning sun, but the cold white walls held little hope for the brother of the dying. The walls were like a great ice dragon, enfolding everything in its deadly freezing wings, cutting off access to the sun, to light, to life. Matt's darkened room was like a black dragon of Death. The curtains were closed, like folded wings, and the dim yellow bulbs were like narrowed eyes. Little flickers of red on monitors spelled out the dying boy's status, and a steady flow of fluids drained from a tube into his thin, pale wrist.

"Matt," T.K. said softly, opening the door to the room. Matt's blue eyes opened slowly, pupils flickering towards his brother. A slow grin spread across his face when he saw Gabumon in T.K.'s arms, and he spoke softly through the breathing mask covering his mouth and nose. "Thanks for bringing the furball." It was a vain attempt at humor, but T.K. smiled back encouragingly. Gabumon walked slowly to the bed and rested his chin on the white sheets, tears in his massive, luminous red eyes.

"Matt! We all miss you!" He said, his voice almost a howl of sorrow. Matt reached out a weak hand to scratch the faithful digimon behind his false ears, and T.K. took a seat in a chair beside Gabumon.

"We miss you at home. The rest of the gang is on their way over. As soon as they finish work, Mom and Dad will be over here. You know how Mom's work is," T.K. gave a crooked half-smile, "They're only letting her off an hour earlier."

"And Dad's at the T.V. station, I'm assuming," Matt gave a half-smile back, but was cut off by a sudden fit of coughing. T.K.'s eyes narrowed briefly; had these hospital bastards let his brother get a throat infection, too? Matt saw the anger and shook his head, saying weakly, "No, it's not them. I had a cold before I came in here."

T.K. sat at his brother's side, talking about anything that came to mind, joking like nothing was wrong. Matt appreciated that, and he, for a while, forgot the constant pain that wracked his body. He knew the dragon's wings were closing further.

T.K. had just finished another obscure blond joke, causing Matt to laugh softly, when Tai broke through the door followed by the rest of the very distressed digidestined.

"Always the leader," Matt laughed, "Even when breaking down hospital doors."

Tai laughed back and pulled up another chair to the bedside, taking his best friend's hand in his. "We're all here, Matt, even Mimi."

"How'd Mimi get here?" Matt asked, lifting himself slightly to meet the tall girl's eyes. She smiled and waved, removing her sunglasses.

"I flew in yesterday, when I heard," She replied, leaning down to hug her ill friend.

"So, how d'you feel?" Davis asked, eyeing Matt.

"I feel great, now that you're all here," Matt replied, giving a huge grin.

"See, I told you, you can't keep a digidestined down," Tai laughed cheerfully. "You'll be outta here in no time. We've got a beach party planned soon!"

"Yeah," Yolie grinned, "You can get your tan back and attract another herd of screaming female fanatics!"

"What, we're not good enough?" Sora smiled jokingly.

"Hey, I'd miss out on all the hot blond beach babes! I think not," Matt returned.

"Oh, I see, none of us are blond, so we're not sexy enough for you, huh?" Mimi said in mock irritation. "Let's go bleach our hair, girls!"

In the midst of the laughter and good humor, the wings of the dragon seemed to recede, and a sort of light happiness filled the room. For another half-hour they talked, still speaking of nothing at all, until the doctors shooed them out to give Matt rest. They left grudgingly, promising to return the next day, promising to bring flowers and food even if they had to hide it in Tai's hair.

T.K. was the last to leave, reluctantly. "I've got loads of homework," He sighed hugely, "But Mom and Dad will come soon. Feel better, Matt!"

"I will," Matt said, settling back down on his pillow.

~*~*~

"So, we'll put the Unagi in Tai's hair and the California Rolls in Mimi's bra?" Joe asked, holding up the fresh sushi.

"Sounds good to me! I wore an unpadded bra for a reason today," Mimi grinned. 

"And T.K, you act depressed and sad and make them let you bring flowers."

"Got it!"

"Let's go! Izzy's driving."

The Digidestined piled haphazardly into Izzy's Mom's SUV, food hidden all over the place. Kari even though to bring Matt's harmonica. 

"Floor it, Izz!" Tai shouted, leaning out the window like a dog.

"The sushi's gonna fly out of your hair!" T.K. warned, shoving their leader back inside the car.

"Aww," Tai pouted, "But I call shotgun for the ride back too."

"You can't do that!" Sora argued.

"Yes I can," Tai replied, "I'm the leader!"

"So am I!" Davis challenged.

"No, you're just the substitute," Ken replied, leaning into Davis and shoving him against the window.

"Oww, oww, ok, uncle! I give! Get off!" Davis yelped. "You're screwing up my hair!" Ken laughed and leaned back, laughing at the flat side of Davis's 'fro. 

"How much gel do you use?" He asked, jabbing his friend's purple-brown hair.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, nyaa!" Davis retorted.

"Hey, that reminds me, who got the gel and brush?" Yolie asked.

"I do," Mimi replied. "I couldn't find his, so I brought a few of mine."

"A few?" Tai asked incredulously, staring at the bulging fashion bag.

"Yeah, you should see my full collection," Mimi replied.

"I don't think I want to..." Tai said, paling. "And I thought I had a lot of stuff..."

Izzy parked outside the hospital and popped open the trunk, releasing Joe, Kari, Sora, and Cody, and the other Digidestined piled out as well. They walked over to the main entrance laden with stuff, but T.K.'s sorrowful face broke all arguments effectively. They again made it to Matt's room, and opened the door to see their friend in a much worse state than he'd been in the day before. His face was as pale as a white sheet, and his eyelids like thin sheets of paper were closed over his blue eyes. His breathing seemed slower, but not as labored, and the vital signs still looked Ok to T.K.'s untrained eyes.

"Matt," He said quietly, touching his brother's cold arm, "We're here."

Matt's eyes fluttered open and he grinned openly at the huge crowd of people. "Wow, the whole gang's here," He said, raising himself slightly.

"Yeah, and we brought you stuff!" Mimi smiled, removing the sushi from her shirt. Tai took the Unagi from his hair, and the other Digidestined revealed their gifts of sodas, rice balls, sweet stuff, and other foods. Matt's eyes lit up, and he said "I'm starving, the food here sucks!"

"That's why we brought you this," Davis laughed.

"And we've got more!" Kari said, handing Matt a cloth-wrapped object. He opened it to reveal his harmonica, and he smiled up at the others. "Thanks guys, I've missed music in here."

"We also brought these," Mimi said, placing her bag down at the foot of the bed.

"Your appearance is a little frazzled, so we thought we'd spruce you up a bit," Yolie smiled, removing brushes and gel from the bag.

"Thanks guys, my hair is totaled."

"We figured," Kari laughed. She then set about propping Matt's head up so it could be worked on properly. She brushed out the tangles in a motherly fashion while the others talked, and Matt actually seemed stronger even though he didn't look it. When the golden hair was completely smooth, Mimi took over, using her superior hair knowledge to wash it. She used a small padded bowl filled with warm water and some guy shampoo, and washed the limp hair twice and conditioned it before she was satisfied. After wringing it out, she passed the job to T.K., who thoroughly dried the hair and passed it on to Tai. Tai took Matt's special hair gel, the kind he used before performing or for special occasions, and styled the hair into his friend's neatly parted, semi-spiky, very original 'do.

"Perfect," Sora smiled, handing Matt a mirror.

"Thanks, it looks awesome," Matt smiled. "This means a lot to me."

"We're glad you like it," Joe said, placing a hand on his friend's thin shoulder.

"We thought up something else for you, buddy," Izzy said slowly. "Tai, me, Mimi, and Davis raided your band's practice room and filched the instruments, and we've got a song for you."

"Actually, all of us are singing, but we're hopeless with instrumentals," Ken laughed.

"I think you know the song, but since you haven't heard music in a while, we decided to bring it to you," Davis said in a solemn voice, totally out-of-character for the rambunctious young man.

Tai took a guitar, Matt's guitar, off his back and began to strum a few chords. Izzy joined in with another guitar, Joe tapped out a beat on a set of bongos, and Mimi began humming along, producing a beautiful melody.

  
  


Mount Kailas, uncover me; 

Come my restoration, wash my body clean. 

  
  


I've been walking along the crooked path 

Where the walls have fallen and broken me in half. 

  
  


Davis, Joe, and Izzy took up a chorus to Mimi's humming and the guitars, their voices blending into a perfect harmony.

  
  


I'm telling you, 

I will not rest till I lay down my head. 

I'm gonna go in the house of stone and light. 

  
  


I shall not cry 

For the blind man I leave behind 

When I go in the house of stone and light, 

In the house of stone and light. 

  
  


Holy Lady, show me my soul; 

Tell me of that place where I must surely go. 

  
  


Matt, tears in his eyes, gave voice to the song along with the others joining in, his spirit lifting at the words.

  
  


Old man waiting at the gates for me, 

Give me the wisdom, give me the key. 

  
  


I'm telling you, 

I will not rest till I lay down my head 

In the house of stone and light. 

  
  


I'll make my way, 

O gonna be such a beautiful day 

In the house of stone and light, 

In the house of stone and light. 

  
  


He put the cold harmonica to his pale lips and played, and the others sang, even Cody, and everyone cried, though from sadness or joy no one could tell.

  
  


Let me in beneath my skin, 

Yeah, yeah, oh, oh. 

In the house of stone and light. 

  
  


It's been too long, my spirit's been at war. 

Havasupai Shaman, let me be reborn. 

  
  


The song floated through the hospital, and others heard it, and some could even be heard singing it as well, as if they understood its meaning. Even dying voices sang.

  
  


And I will embrace the sun upon my face, 

Come the day I awake the child inside 

In the house of stone and light. 

  
  


And when I go, 

I will op-op-open my eyes 

In the house of stone and light. 

I will see you in the house of stone and light. 

  
  


As they lifted their voices to the last lines, everyone in the ward stopped to listen, to even the cracking, crying voices harmonizing together, singing for a dying friend. Singing for the last time.

  
  


I'm looking in beneath my skin. 

Yeah, yeah, oh, oh. 

  
  


In the house of stone and light. 

In the house of stone and light. 

  
  


I must go there, to find my soul, yeah

I must go there, to find my soul, yeah

I must go there, to find my soul, yeah...

  
  


Cody, his lip trembling, climbed into Matt's lap as they last chords died, and presented him with a little child's drawing. "This is for you," He said quietly. "It's all of us. Even when we're not here to visit you, you can see us."

The little, simplistic pencil drawing depicted each Digidestined together, holding hands, Matt in the middle. The sun shown above, and little flowers decorated the grass, and Spiral Mountain could be seen in the background. 

"Thank you Cody," Matt said, his voice quiet and tear-choked. "Thank you all." 

They all nodded and spoke again in low tones, for a few moments longer, but Matt stopped them slowly. His eyes were half-closed and his breath was suddenly labored.

"I think I'm going," He whispered, so quietly they almost didn't hear. "Please... don't let the doctors in here... I'm in too much pain... I want this to end..."

T.K., eyes streaming, held his brother's hand. "No, Matt, you can't..."

"Shh, Teek, it's ok. Take care of Dad for me... take care of Gabumon..." He paused, catching his breath, and turned to Tai. "Tai, I love you like a brother, please don't do anything stupid... please... tell... tell Gennai what happened... tell my band that..." He coughed fitfully, for a moment, but re-gained his breath again. "Tell them I said to play a song I wrote... it's in my bedside drawer..."

He turned to the others, looking at each one in turn, embracing them with his eyes. "I'll miss you all... take care... of each-other, and never forget me..." He was caught in another coughing fit, and the monitors went nuts for a moment, but calmed down again. 

When Matt next spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, and it was strained and rough, very labored. "Don't feel bad for me. I'm going... up there... to the House of Stone and Light, and I'll see you all there... I'll see you... but don't... don't hurt yourselves..." He drew a deep breath and said softly, "I'll watch over you all..." Then, to T.K., "My brother, the Angel of Hope, please stay how you are... take care of them... please..."

He coughed again, and his deep blue eyes closed, and the dragon's wings folded, and the ruby eyes went out. The life of Matt Ishida, keeper of Friendship, was slowly slipping away. His hand clenched around his brother's hand and, as he took a final, shuddering breath, the dragon's wing closed completely. He was dead.

And T.K. could only utter a wounded cry, like a howl, that was taken up by all the others. And Matt's soul departed that room, soaring through the folded black wings, towards the sky. He was free.

  
  


THE END 


End file.
